Chasing Freedom
by JordiiPordiiPuddinPie
Summary: Ishida Keiko's parents started her dance career for her at the age of four. They raised her to compete and strive to win, always pushing her to go the extra mile. Keiko loved to dance, but she always hated it more than she loved it. It was fun, but very restricting. All Keiko wants is to feel free for once and maybe, just maybe, the answer lies with her cousin, Haruka. RinxOC fic.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys. So, um, you can consider this, like, a "pilot chapter" I guess? I was asked a few days ago to consider doing a RinxOC fanfiction and so now I am, but I don't know if anyone will want to read it because there's an OC or what; obviously they're never anywhere near as popular as the canon characters are. But yeah. Um... If you've made it this far, I would just go ahead and read, and if you do read, please read the note at the bottom, too, because I don't know how much support I'm gonna have to continue this from, you know, the readers. And... I'll shut up now? Sorry for the short-ish first (if not only) chapter!

**Summary: **Ishida Keiko's parents started her dance career for her at the age of four. They raised her to compete and strive to win, always pushing her to go the extra mile. Keiko always loved to dance, but she always hated it, too. It was fun, but challenging and very restricting. All Keiko wants is to feel free for once and maybe, just maybe, the answer lies with her cousin, Haruka, in the town where it all began. This will be a RinxOC fic.

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. _I do, however, own Ishida Keiko. Thanks.**

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**[CHAPTER ONE: "THE GIRL."]**

"He needs to trust the water; _he's_ the one with the problem, not the water." Nanase Haruka defended his favorite chemical compound, fine, darkly-colored eyebrows furrowed together as he stared straight ahead. Beside him walked his longtime best friend and right hand man, Tachibana Makoto, who found himself chuckling before he could stop himself, causing Haru to look at him.

"I'm serious," The black-haired male said, a deep frown settled into his face. Makoto nodded his head, reaching up and wiping a tear from his eye. These walks home from swim practice in the late afternoon really were the best, though they were fairly new.

"I know, I know," Makoto said in an attempt to pacify Haru, laughing some more as the boy huffed quietly, casting his gaze to the side. Makoto smiled. Haru really was quite a character; he could go from blank-faced to dead serious in the blink of an eye, it seemed. And believe Makoto— there_ was_ a difference.

Much like how the sight of Haru's house on the hill was different than how it usually was; how it should have been. Makoto found himself stopping just as Haru did beside him, both of the boys staring up at the house.

"Haru... Why are your lights on? I could've sworn we turned them off this morning," Makoto said, shrugging his school bag back up onto his shoulder as he cupped his chin with one hand, frowning. Then the olive-haired teen jumped to attention, looking around. There _had_ been out at swim practice a little bit later than usual today; it _was_ getting dark. _Could that possibly mean...?_

"Haru!" Makoto's hand flew to the other male's shoulder, shaking it. "Do you think your house could be getting robbed?! Do you think there could be a burglar?!" The panicking male exclaimed; Makoto was a scaredy cat who didn't do well with creepy or dangerous scenarios. Haruka knew this and his friend's worry and fear were just two of the reasons his eyes narrowed. He'd cut the lights off this morning; he'd accidentally attempted to turn the switch on rather than turn it off because he had been thinking of other things, such as swimming and how quickly he wanted their swim practice to get there.

"Come on and we'll find out," Haru said, not liking the thought of someone unwelcomed in his house. He began trudging forward, leaving Makoto gaping, staring after him like he was crazy. Reluctantly, the taller teen followed.

"But Haru, this could be dangerous!" Makoto said in a quiet, hushed voice as he fell back into step beside Haru, matching his friend's rushed rhythm and long strides. "I like how you're assuming it's a break-in," Haruka commented, causing Makoto to frown. "I like how you're assuming it's _not!_" He shot back. Haruka grunted in response, saying nothing more. Makoto side-stepped closer to Haruka, clutching his friend's shirt sleeve. The shorter male fought the urge to shrug him off, considering the situation that could quite possibly be at hand.

Next he knew, the abnormal phenomenon really _was_ at hand; his hand was clutching at the front door to his house. "Not locked," He commented back to Makoto, who gulped, stepping behind Haruka like he was a shield to help fend off anything and anyone that could be waiting inside. Bravely, Haruka took a deep breath, sliding the front door open.

The hallway was perfectly intact. And so was the kitchen, the sitting room, and the downstairs bathroom. Makoto looked around, scanning the area with not-so-wide eyes. "Maybe they broke in and forgot to turn the lights off," He said quietly to Haruka, who sighed.

"And forgot to steal anything?" The black-haired swimmer questioned, immediately making Makoto feel better about the situation, though slightly dumb for suggesting such a thing. Not that Haru had done it on purpose, of course. He knew Makoto's brain got lazy and as his logic all funny when he was scared.

"Ah, right," Makoto nodded, looking around still. "So we just didn't turn the lights off?" The male asked, provoking Haru to shake his head just as something fell to the floor upstairs. "Someone's here."

"Eh?!" Makoto was back on the alert as Haruka began to climb the stairs. "H-Haru, don't go up there!" The boy reached out for his friend, but was unable to catch the back of his shirt. Makoto leaned against the thin, old staircase, looking up it as he watched as Haruka stopped at the top of the stairs. "If not burglars, then it must be a serial killer! He's lying in wait for us!" He called up.

Haruka sighed, wishing Makoto would calm down. He knew how antsy and upset his friend got whenever something was uncertain, but them freaking out wasn't going to do anything. _Still..._

Haruka looked down the hallway, his eyes immediately flying to the open bathroom door as someone's voice, quiet and angry, could be heard. _"Shit!"_ He knew he heard distinctly, among other things.

Frowning as his eyebrows furrowed together, giving him an agitated sort of look, Haruka carefully padded down the hallway towards the bathroom. Said room was the first door on the right, fairly close to the top of the stairs but still a good distance away. As he got to the doorway he put his hand on the light brown frame, slowly leaning forward to peer around said frame. What he saw sent a shiver running down his spine.

A bright orange face.

Haruka stumbled backward, breath catching in surprise, and his loud footsteps on the upper floor of the house echoed down to Makoto, who looked back up the staircase, alert. "Haru, are you okay?" He asked, but never received a response. Makoto frowned. "I'm coming up!" He called, pushing his fear back. If Haru needed him, he was going to be there for him, and no one was going to stop him!

Except the monster standing just outside the bathroom door, orange and terrible.

"Monster!" Makoto screeched and Haruka frowned, reaching back slightly and flicking his hand at Makoto, silently telling him to hush. The teen did, albeit reluctantly.

It wasn't a monster standing in his hallway just before them — though he had thought so, and apparently Makoto, too — but rather a girl. She was just about the correct height for a girl around their age and she was dressed in a orange t-shirt that said, in big bubble letters across the front,_ "Star!"_ and a pair of pink shorts with no shoes or socks. Her black hair was up in a high but small ponytail and her bangs were pinned against the top of her head, away from her face. Haru would dare to say she looked comfortable standing there in his hallway, save for the orange glop on her face, which Haruka found he couldn't identify.

Behind Haru, Makoto flinched as the girl moved, putting more of her weight on her left leg than her right, effectively thrusting her hip out like she was accostumed to doing such a thing, and crossed her arms. Her blue eyes stared hard at the two of them, the eyebrows staged above those familiar blue hues knotted together.

"Boy, you guys sure do know how to make a girl feel pretty."

**[CHAPTER ONE: "THE GIRL" END.]**

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...Okay, lay it on me. And while you are, whether you liked this or not, could you please head to my profile and actually vote on it in the poll(I seriously typed "pool" first, god Jordan) I have/am going to put up. It's easier to know who agrees and disagrees with me continuing this. Thanks! PuddinPie out.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, guys! So a lot of people actually seemed to like the first little pilot chapter of _"Chasing Freedom" _so... I guess I'm continuing it? Here's the second chapter!

**Summary: —**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club _or any of the characters in this fic with the exception of Ishida Keiko. Thanks!**

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**[CHAPTER TWO: "REUNITED."]**

"You..." Haruka frowned, blue gaze locked on the girl standing just outside his bathroom door, who'd already appeared to have made herself at home in his house.

"Who are you?" The black-haired swimmer asked, feeling Makoto come out from behind him, stepping to stand alongside him. Haru glanced over at his friend out of the corner of his eye; the taller male looked significantly calmer._ Well,_ He looked back towards the girl. _It's clear she's no burglar._ She was just a random girl that'd manage to find her way into his house. _She may still be a threat, though._

"Who_ am_ I?" The girl sounded just as incredulous as she looked— her mouth hanging halfway open and her eyebrows raised like she'd just been insulted to the highest degree. "You don't recognize me?" She asked.

"Afraid not," Came Haru's monotone response. Beside him, Makoto frowned, squinting his green hues a bit to try and see past the orange substance on the girl's face, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but no," He apologized. The girl pursed her lips out of habit.

"I'm gone for a few years and you guys totally forget about me? _Seriously?_" The black-haired girl shifted onto her other foot and sighed, letting her blue eyes fall shut as she shook her head, her little ponytail bobbing and swaying. Then she was moving forward, approaching them. Haruka felt Makoto tense slightly beside him.

"The two of you never change— you're still as clueless as ever," The girl commented, stopping right in front of them. She placed one hand on her hip, pointing to Makoto as she said, "You— You were my, like, hero when we were kids. You were all nice and sweet, unlike this guy here." She traded her pointer finger for her thumb, thrusting it Haru's way. He narrowed his eyes, beginning to sense something familiar about her. There was something about the way her face scrunched up, how her eyebrows knitted together. It felt eerily familiar; like he'd seen it a million times.

"What do I need to do, Haru?" The girl asked, letting her hand drop to her hip as she leaned in closer to the male. "Sob my heart out and run away crying?" Her voice had a sharp edge to it, her tone firm like an unforgiving wall. Haru flinched. There it was; that was where he knew her from.

"_Keiko_," The name left his lips in a mumble and beside him Makoto jumped to attention, blinking incredulously. "Keiko?" He repeated, looking to the much shorter female, who made it a point to turn and stare back up at him. Slowly, Makoto smiled. He couldn't say he recognized her with all that orange glop on her face, smeared everywhere but in her eyes and up her nose, but if Haru said she was Keiko, he figured she _must have_ been Keiko.

"Ah, it's good to see you, Keiko-chan!" Makoto piped, smiling widely as he relaxed. The newly identified girl huffed, scrunching up her face, before she blushed just slightly underneath her orange face mask and reached out, lightly punching Makoto in the arm. "You, too," She returned the statement, smiling, then turned to Haruka. "So," She chirped, her smile slightly deflated.

"How has my baby cousin been?" Keiko asked, looking to Haru with a teasing grin. The boy stayed silent, looking away as he mumbled, _"I'm not a baby."_ Makoto laughed hesitantly and Keiko shook her head.

"Still as cold as ever, I see," Keiko commented, sighing before getting back on topic. "But seriously— I hear you aren't even swimming competitively anymore. If you're not even doing that, what'll you do with your future, Haru?" She asked. The boy in question frowned, deciding to ignore her question. She didn't know what she was talking about— she never had.

"And I hear a cantaloupe exploded in your face," The blue-eyed swimmer retorted, shutting his eyes. Makoto flinched beside him, while Keiko just stared. _What?_ "Excuse me, just what is that supposed to—"

The look the girl took on when she understood that she was being insulted and Haru was referring to the orange on her face was one of high offense. Keiko scowled, letting her hands drop to her sides and curl into fists as she stomped her foot. "Haru, I—" She began, before said boy took over for her.

"_'Hate you?'_" Haruka looked at his cousin and she cringed, taking a small step back. Makoto could feel tension springing up into the atmosphere as the girl's angry look deflated and she cast her blue gaze to the hallway's old wood floor.

"I don't think that's funny," Keiko mumbled, saying what she'd initially intended to, before she scowled once more, turning away.

"You don't like it?" The girl inquired. "Fine, then I'll wash it off," She stated, retreating to the bathroom. Makoto watched her go with a frown, Haru staring at her back, watching her shoulder blades move against the fabric of her t-shirt. Both boys flinched slightly as the girl slammed the door behind her and it was only then that Makoto turned to Haruka.

"I think that was uncalled for, Haru-chan," Makoto said softly, but there was a strict, scolding mother sort of tone to his voice. Haruka shrugged before he headed down the hallway, going past the bathroom and into his bedroom on the opposite side of the hall.

Makoto frowned, watching Haruka go, before following suit. As he passed by the bathroom, however, he heard a peculiar noise and paused, pressing his ear against the door. He heard what sounded like a small sob and, most likely due to the motherly instincts he'd been born with, immediately became concerned.

"Keiko-chan?" The olive-haired teen wrapped his knuckles against the bathroom door. There was a small grunt before the door opened.

Keiko stood there in the doorway, dabbing at her right cheek with a wash cloth. The orange was gone now and he could see her face; he looked it over, finding that he recognized her much more easily now. Her face was still round, like she'd lost very little — if any — of her baby fat, and the tip of her nose was popped up. Makoto distantly remembered some kids in their neighborhood joking that her nose made her look like a big, which he'd never found very nice, but did find was no longer _quite_ as true as it had been then.

"Ah, are you crying?" The teenage boy asked, noting that Keiko's left hand was up at her eye, wiping at it furiously. She shook her head. "I got some of that junk in my eye," The girl stated. "Oh," Makoto nodded, supposing that must have been what he had heard when he passed by; foreign objects entering into the eyes _was_ usually a very painful experience. "Did you flush it out?" He asked. Keiko nodded. "Still burns, though."

Taking in a deep breath, the black-haired girl let out an even deeper sigh, turning and leaning back against the bathroom counter.

"He's got some attitude, doesn't he?" Keiko commented— in reference to Haru. Makoto made a face, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. "Eh... I think you just hit a sore spot, that's all." He stated, giving a confident nod as he tried to reassure the girl that Haru wasn't all that bad.

Keiko frowned, looking up at the taller teen. "Sore spot? What kind of sore spot?" She asked. Makoto shrugged, not quite sure how to answer the girl's question. This caused her to sigh again, crossing her arms and shutting her eyes. Makoto sighed right along with her.

"Look, I'll go talk to Haru-chan, okay? You just meet us downstairs in five minutes," Makoto said, smiling as he reached out and touched Keiko's shoulder. The girl looked up at him and for a moment she saw the same Makoto she'd known years before, who she'd always admired and looked up to, even though at the time she'd been both older and taller. She nodded as he turned and left, heading across the hall to Haru's room.

Alone again, Keiko cast her gaze down at her hands, holding up her left hand and examining her nails. _This pink has run it's course._ The girl thought to herself and, with that in mind, left the bathroom. She headed down the hallway to what she had once known to be Haruka's parent's room, where she'd deposited all of her belongings upon arriving, in search of a new nail polish color. _I think I want some kind of green._

Across the hallway, Makoto knocked on the frame of Haru's bedroom door before entering. Green eyes scanning the room, it wasn't hard for him to locate his best friend; the boy was standing beside of his bed. He had stripped down to his swimming suit and was currently proceeding to dress himself in a pale yellow tanktop; Makoto noticed he didn't have any pants laid out to put on.

"Ah, Haru?" Makoto called as he moved further into the room, slipping his bag off his shoulder finally and placing it against Haru's bedroom door. "Aren't you going to put on some shorts or something? Bottoms?" The teen asked. Haruka shook his head. "Once she gets out, I'm taking a bath," The black-haired boy said. Makoto really found himself hoping he meant out of the bathroom and not out of the _house._

"Ah, well, wait, Haru-chan. I think the two of you need to sit down and talk." Makoto nodded, sounding confident in his suggestion. Haru scowled and looked away, causing Makoto's heart to sink slightly. He tried again, lowering her voice as he heard Keiko's footsteps going down the hallway.

"Haru... I think she's put what happened the last time she was here behind her, so you should, too. Also, I'm sure she didn't understand what she was saying with her swimming comment. She didn't even _know_ Rin— she doesn't know what happened between the two of you, or why you stopped swimming." The last few words hurt to say, but only because Haruka hadn't even told _him_ what had happened; he'd had to hear from a third party.

Haru grunted, supposing Makoto had a point. Then he turned towards the door, walking past the taller male.

Makoto frowned, staring after his friend before slowly following after him.

Needless to say, a minute later the boys descended the stairs to find Haru's visitor in the sitting room, painting her fingernails a pale green. The girl looked up from her work as she heard the boys enter, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Hey— did you come to apologize?" Keiko asked as Haruka sat down directly across from her, Makoto taking the seat at the end of the table between them. "Yeah," Haru mumbled, looking off to the side. He'd apologize, but only because he knew Makoto wanted him to. "I'm sorry," The black-haired swimmer mumbled. Keiko's eyebrows lifted in surprise; she hadn't expected him to give in so fast. "Oh, um, well..." The girl puffed out her cheeks before letting out a big breath and shrugging.

"I'm sorry, too, I guess," Keiko said dismissively, flicking her right hand back and forth through the air, drying out her nails as she temporarily rested the nailpolish cap back inside the bottle. "I guess maybe some things have happened since I've been gone. We never talked or anything, even though I was just a couple hours away, so..."

"Wait," Makoto interrupted, apologizing immediately after before going voicing his concern. "You were only two hours away, Keiko-chan?" The olive-haired teen asked. Keiko nodded. _I didn't know..._ Makoto thought to himself, frowning. Upon seeing his look of distress, the black-haired girl laughed. "And here I was thinking you actually paid me some mind back then, Makoto. Guess not."

"Yeah, I've only been two, maybe two and a half hours away," Keiko uncrossed her legs, stretching her left leg out to the side as she felt it beginning to cramp. "I could've come back to visit, I guess, but they've been keeping me on a super tight schedule. You know— with dance." Makoto nodded, understanding, before looking down at the table. _So she still dances... _The male didn't know whether to be happy about that or feel sad for her.

"Is that why you're here now— visiting?" Haru spoke up from across the table; the two other teens looked at him. "Ah, yeah..." Keiko nodded hesitantly, her shoulders going strangely stiff as she reached out towards her nailpolish, starting on her other hand. Haruka frowned, his eyes narrowing. _Are you?_

"Well, I'm glad you finally came back to see us," Makoto offered a smile, briefly taking in Haruka's look of suspicion, noting it. "But what does this mean? That the people you dance for are finally letting you take a break?"

"Of course!" Keiko chirped and paused in her work, only her left pinkie painted thus far, and puffed out her small chest proudly. "I'm so awesome nowadays, they _had_ to give me a little vacation!" The girl gloated, laughing out loud. Makoto laughed along with her, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Ah, okay. So does that mean you've gotten a lot better, then?" The male asked. He immediately regretted asking.

"..._What?_" Keiko's blue eyes of rage were centered on him now and Makoto flinched. "I-I mean..."

"Whaddya mean _"So does that mean you've gotten a lot better,"_ Makoto? I was_ always_ good!" The girl insisted, leaning over towards the olive-haired schoolboy, the nail-polish cap raised. The brush end of the object was pointed towards Makoto like the tip of a knife, threatening and ready to be used for assault. Said teenager held up both his hands defensively. "Of course you were..."

"_I was!_" Keiko exclaimed, frowning as she scowled, flicking her wrist forward. Makoto's breath hitched as he jerked away, just narrowly missing her green, messy weapon. Keiko snickered, smirking, and raised up, leaning across the table. "It's just nail-polish— you could totally wash it out, Makoto!"

"Yeah, but it _looks_ like..." The male shook his head, inching closer to Haru, who'd been opting to watch in silence. He found it funny how they were able to interact so easily, like so much time hadn't passed, even though it had.

"Like what, Mako? Slime, _alien guts?_" Keiko pressed on, grinning. She remembered _everything_ about Makoto— including his scaredy-cat personality. _"Yes!"_

Keiko laughed and Haruka watched blankly as his best friend and seemingly long "lost" cousin bantered back and forth, though said banter was only really playful from Keiko's end of things; Makoto looked very displeased.

The two old friends calmed down after a few minutes, however— Keiko stopped messing around and sat back, laughing and going back to her nails, while Makoto thanked in and every all-powerful being above that she hadn't gotten any of that green slime on his uniform. From there, the conversation wandered. Makoto and Keiko talked about all of Makoto's various fears before going onto talking about Haru, who didn't seem to have any fears at all.

When asked about his fears, the black-haired, blue-eyed athlete simply said, _"I don't like the thought of not being able to swim,"_ and somehow the message was able to easily reach the other two teenagers in the room.

Before the three teens knew it, after walking down memory lane several times and reliving their childhoods together, Makoto announced that it was time for him to go home. The olive-haired male bid farewell to Keiko, who smiled and nodded, saying she hoped they'd see each other again really soon, before being walked out by Haru. The two friends said goodbye at the front door and Makoto promised to come bright and early the next morning to retrieve Haru for school and the other swimmer nodded, quietly saying goodbye as he watched his friend leave.

Keiko had just finished applying the last of three coats of green polish to her nails when Haru came back into the sitting room. The black-haired boy took his seat quietly once more, shutting his eyes. He looked a bit troubled.

"Something on your mind?" Keiko asked as she blew on her nails, wanting them to hurry up and dry; she never had been a very patient girl. Haruka opened his eyes and looked at the girl across from him, frowning.

He hadn't spoken to Keiko in many years— that much was true. He knew all about her life, however, and knew that she'd been worked hard in the last few years, especially since right around the time he stopped swimming competitively. Both her parents and the company she danced for had been very, from what he had been hearing, strict on her and were still strict on her to this day. So he found it strange — peculiar — that she'd suddenly been given a vacation by the same strict, overworking parents and dance instructors. Something about her story seemed funny; he didn't really know if Makoto had been able to tell.

"...You're not just here _visiting_, are you?" Haruka's voice was quiet and strangely soft. The fingers on Keiko's right hand flinched and, slowly, the eighteen year old dancer looked off to the side, pulling her hand into a loose fist. Now that the two of them were there alone, she'd known Haru was bound to be suspicious and would question her. She just hadn't expected his questions to come _so soon._

"If I said no..." Keiko mumbled, glancing up at Haru once to find him staring down at the table before casting her own blue hues back down, shutting them. She took in a deep breath.

_"would you let me stay?"_

**[CHAPTER TWO: "REUNITED" END.]**

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Ah, I hope that was an okay second chapter. That's all I really have to comment on, so... Thanks for reading guys! Later!


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